


Little Slice of Heaven

by rainbowwingsxo



Category: Supernatural, deancas - Fandom, destiel - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bad Parent John Winchester, Baker Castiel (Supernatural), Bisexual Dean Winchester, Bisexual Male Character, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Castiel and Dean Winchester Live Together, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Castiel is a Softie, Castiel is a hopeless romantic, Castiel owns a bakery, Cat Owner Castiel (Supernatural), Cat Owner Dean Winchester, College | University Student Sam Winchester, Complete, Cute Ending, Dog Owner Dean Winchester, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Gay Castiel (Supernatural), Gay Male Character, Happy Ending, Homophobic John Winchester, Hurt Dean Winchester, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, John Winchester Being an Asshole, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Claire Novak, M/M, Mechanic Dean Winchester, My First Work in This Fandom, Openly Gay Castiel (Supernatural), Pet Owner Castiel (Supernatural), References to Supernatural (TV), Romantic Fluff, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Short One Shot, Soft Castiel/Dean Winchester, so soft it makes you squeal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:35:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28220070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowwingsxo/pseuds/rainbowwingsxo
Summary: Castiel and Dean have been dating for three years and loving every second of it. With Dean working at the local auto shop and Cas, after a few years of culinary school, working at the local diner, they have their perfect apple pie life cut out for them. That is, until one day, when Cas decides to drop everything and follow his dream of owning a bakery. But with this adventure come some seemingly innocent secrets. Can secrets ever be innocent? And can Cas and Dean reconcile over a slice of hot apple pie?
Relationships: DeanCas, Destiel, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Kaia Nieves/Claire Novak
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	1. His

6:58 am. Castiel had two minutes to wipe the sleep from his eyes and find his phone before his morning alarm woke Dean up. And the lord knows how grumpy Dean can be in the morning. This was a daily recurrence, waking up before his alarm to give his boyfriend an extra hour of sleep, but it was one that was becoming harder and harder to keep up with ever since Cas quit his job at the local diner. 

That’s where Dean thought Cas was going this morning. 

Cas sighed lightly, slipped his arm from under Dean’s head then swung his feet around to touch the floor. Soft, warm fur touched his ankle and Cas looked down to see Lola and Louie purring and weaving around him as if to say good morning. Placing a light kiss on Dean’s forehead, he then stood up and drowsily walked to the kitchen, cats trailing eagerly, to be greeted by Dean’s rescue mutt Miracle. Cas preferred his smaller feline friends but he couldn’t help but love Miracle for how happy she made Dean. Patting the shaggy dog on the head, Cas headed to the pantry to feed the animals before heading back to the bedroom to get dressed quickly. After throwing on his favorite black sweater, a pair of blue jeans and his favorite beaten-up white Converse, he headed back to the kitchen. He stood and watched as the animals lapped gratefully at their food before pulling out a pen and notepad. 

Dean,  
I’ll be at work late tonight, so don’t feel like  
you need to wait up for me. I’ll see you later.  
Yours,  
Cas

As he put the pen back in the kitchen drawer where he got it, he heard rustling coming from the bedroom and lunged for his apartment keys and his bike helmet and darted out the door. If Dean saw him leave without his work uniform on, he’d have a load of questions and Cas would be in deep shit, and he’d, uh, rather not be in deep shit. 

As Castiel fastened his bike lock around the stop sign, he heard laughter behind him and turned to see his favorite people in the world walking towards him: Sam and Eileen, hand in hand, Claire, Kaia, sharing an ice cream cone, chocolate vanilla swirl of course, and Charlie, one headphone in, bopping along to some song he couldn’t hear. A smile crept onto Cas’ face at the sight of them. 

“‘Sup, bitches,” Charlie said in greeting, shooting Cas a wink, as she took her singular headphone out of her ear. Cas shoved his fists deeper into his pockets as he gave Charlie a shy smile in return. 

“Thanks for coming, guys. I know this might seem a little weird…” he trailed, then was immediately cut off by Claire.

“Oh c’mon Cas, everything you do is a little weird,” she quipped. 

“Listen here, jackass. Keep it up and you can just go home and be excluded from my little secret,” Cas retaliated, as everyone laughed. Claire just rolled her eyes, leaving room for Sam to join the conversation.

“Alright man, so what’s the secret?” Castiel took a deep breath to steady himself, then raised his hand to point to the abandoned building behind them. Eileen’s head tilted in confusion, while Kaia started to ask him what in the hell he was talking about, but both of them were cut off by Claire. 

“Is that… yours? Did you do it?” She asked, excitement creeping into her voice. Claire, his best friend, the one to know his dreams and goals. Of course she’d piece together the puzzle. 

“N-not yet,” he clarified. “But with a little luck, it will be open soon.” He pulled the keys out of his pocket and jingled them in front of everyone, music to his ears. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” Castiel led the pack as they all waited for him to unlock the door, anticipation heavy in the air. As they all stepped inside, Sam let out a small chuckle and spoke up as he glanced around at the dreary gray walls. 

“Cas, man, you still haven’t told us what this place is.” 

“Oh. Well, uh, you’re looking at the future Little Slice of Heaven, a bakery owned by me,” he revealed, as he reached up to run the back of his neck, cheeks flushing red. What did he have to be nervous or embarrassed about? These are his best friends, his biggest supporters, his cheerleaders. Then he remembered why he was doing this: Dean. Charlie’s voice ripped him from his thoughts. 

“Owned by you? It’s... yours?” 

“Well, not yet,” Cas squeaked, hating that he had to use that phrase again. ‘Not yet’ sounded so hopeless, so defeating, so unattainable. “I’ve been saving up and I should have enough money within the next two months to pay the down payment,” He spoke quickly, as if the faster he talked, the faster he’d have the money, and the faster he’d be speaking the truth. “So, soon. The answer is it’ll be mine, soon.” He hated that word too. 

“How much more do you need for the down payment?” Sam asked. Cas let out a heavy sigh. It was a good chunk of change, and he didn’t want them to think he was crazy. Maybe he was crazy, maybe this was all a bad idea, a bad dream. 

“Just a couple grand,” Cas admitted sheepishly. “I just have to scrape together the last bit of it.” At this point, Cas could feel the tension in the air. The more he talked about his dream, the more his friends seemed apprehensive. That is, until Claire spontaneously wrapped him in a huge hug.

“Cas, I think this is going to be great,” she mumbled into his shoulder, with her arms still wrapped around his torso. When she pulled away, Kaia grabbed her hand and flashed Cas a genuine smile. 

“We’ll be first in line for the grand opening, don’t worry,” she assured. Cas returned Kaia’s smile, feeling more at ease now that he had their support. 

“Come on, let me show you around the place,” he said, leading the way through the empty space. Truly, Cas had lucked out with a space like this; the kitchen already had all the equipment needed, the bathrooms were already installed, and that was a space for the cash register and bakery display. The only thing he had to do was give this place a nice little paint job and install some seating arrangements and this place will be open for business. The thought of it made his heart race a little, made his palms sweaty. As he finished taking his friends on the tour, Charlie pulled Cas to the side. 

“Does he know?” He. Dean. 

“No, not yet. I-it’s going to be a surprise. I want it to be a surprise.” Hand to the back of the neck again, Cas let out a small sigh. Charlie’s eyes softened and she placed her hand in Castiel’s.

“Cas, he’s going to love it. I’ll make sure to tell the rest of the gang to keep their traps shut.” He squeezed her hand in silent gratitude and Charlie dipped her head in recognition. They then turned to rejoin the group only to find them all standing in a huddle, waiting for them. In Sam’s hand, a small slip of paper. 

“Sam, what is this?” He scanned their faces, searching for any hint of negative emotion, but all he could detect was excitement. Sam’s mouth tiled into a smirk.

“Your deposit money.”

“M-my what?” Castiel stuttered in disbelief. 

“Your deposit money. We know how much this means to you Cas, and by the transitive property, how much this will mean to Dean. We love you guys and we wanted to help.”

“We? You guys all chipped in? You’d do that for me?” Cas couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His friends are doing this, helping to make his dream come true, all for him. Because they loved him.

“Of course we would, you dork,” Claire nudged Cas with her elbow. 

“That’s what friends are for,” Eileen signed to Cas.

“And for Dean, too,” Charlie added. 

“Yeah, because we all know you’d bend over backwards for that boy,” Claire said with a wink. Sam let out a chuckle.

“Let’s be honest, Dean’s the one who does a lot of bending over for Cas.” The rest of the group broke out into laughter, all but Cas, who shot daggers at all of them, cheeks burning red. 

“Anyway, if you’re all done acting like toddlers,” Cas said gruffly, ”I just wanted to say thank you for this incredibly kind gesture.” He barely got the words out of his mouth before he was wrapped in a warm group hug, words of love and affection being softly spoken in his ear. As they broke apart, Cas sighed and pulled out his phone, holding the check in his other hand. 

“Alright guys, I guess I’m going to go… call the real estate agent and get this shit settled,” he said, his breath hitching on the tail end of the sentence as a huge grin spread across his face. This place was going to be his, his his his. His dreams were coming true, all because of his hard work and the kindness of his friends. His head began to swim with the possibilities. His friends all said their goodbyes in turn, with the occasional hug and promise of a phone call when they got home safely.

Before Castiel took his leave to sort out the legal details of owning the bakery, he beckoned Claire over with a nod of his head. When she reached him, he took her hand in his and held it tightly. Claire shot him a look of alarm at the gesture, taking a small step back.

“Cas, what’s wrong? Was it something I said? The joke earl-” Cas cut her off, a small smile on his lips. 

“Claire, shut up. Nothing’s wrong,” he interrupted, as Claire scoffed at him and frowned.

“Then what is it, asshat?” She growled. Cas took a deep breath before continuing.

“Claire, you’re my best friend, you know that. You know me in a way that very few other people do, and I like to think I know you just as well. Because of that, it’s not lost on me that you seem… lost in life right now. So, I’d like to offer you the position of manager at the bakery when it opens,” Claire’s jaw hit the floor as she tried to interrupt, but Cas kept going. “There is no one in the world whom I trust with my dream more than you, and I know you’ll do your damnedest to make this thing run smoothly. You don’t have to answer now, just consider it.” He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as he searched her face for how she was feeling. And then suddenly, he found Claire wrapped in his arms yet again. He placed a small kiss on the top of her head, relieved to not have stepped out of line with his offer. Claire, the firecracker, the independent force to be reckoned with. 

“I’ll think about it,” she mumbled into his chest before pulling away and leaving Cas to stand there in her wake. 

Cas trudged up the stairs to his apartment, exhaustion deep in his bones. He had spent the rest of the day settling the legality of the empty building and buying paint supplies to revamp the bakery- his bakery. He had just come from Charlie’s, where he had stashed his supplies for the time being, to ensure Dean didn’t stumble upon them. He checked his watch as he fumbled with his keys. 12:38 a.m. He sighed as his slow fingers finally found the correct key, then walked through the door to the coat rack. As he hung up his coat, Cas stopped, hearing a soft sound coming from behind him. His exhaustion melted away as he walked into the living room and laid eyes on the scene in front of him. 

The sound? Dean’s light snoring, so soft that you could almost miss it if you didn’t know any better. Speaking of Dean, Castiel’s beautiful boyfriend was curled up on their ratty old couch, under his favorite blanket, with Merida, yes, the princess from Brave, plastered on the front of it, bushy red hair and bow and arrow on full display. Dean would never tell you that Brave was his favorite movie, he’d deny it tooth and nail, but Cas suspected he loved it so much because it reminded, no, validated Dean of his sense of protection over Sam. Always the big brother, Dean was. Miracle lifted her head as Cas walked in, but Dean didn’t budge. As Cas got closer, he spotted a half-eaten bowl of popcorn still nestled in Dean’s lap and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, that boy always had junk food in his hand. Cas stood for a moment; it could’ve been a minute, it could’ve been three hours, but he stood, watching Dean sleep. The slight rise and fall of his chest, the one he loved falling asleep on every night. The way his breath made his eyelashes flutter. How, even in his sleep, he reached for Miracle, because even the slightest touch calmed his frantic mind. Finally, after what felt like ages, Cas took a step towards Dean, intent on cleaning up a bit before waking him for bed, but he was so captivated that he put his foot down right on Miracle’s favorite squeaker toy. She let out a little rummph and leapt off of the couch, her nails scraping on the hardwood floor. The commotion caused Dean to stir, much to Castiel’s dismay. Cas’ blue eyes met Dean’s sleep-ridden green eyes as Cas’ cheeks burned red in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to wake Dean and now he felt like shit for doing so. 

“Hey, angel,” Dean croaked, peeking over the back of the couch, rubbing his eyes. And with those two words, Cas’ guilt and embarrassment melted away. 

“Hi, Dean,” Cas mumbled as he bent down to pick up the squeaker toy he had stepped on, stopping to ruffle Miracle’s ears before he stood back up. “Sorry for waking you, I didn’t mean to.” 

“Don’t worry about it, really. I wasn’t even asleep,” Dean replied, as Cas shot him a look full of disbelief. “I promise angel, I wasn’t asleep!” Dean continued, rubbing the back of his neck, slightly defensive. Cas took a couple of steps forward and bent over the back of the couch to place a kiss on the top of Dean’s head.

“Whatever you say, my love,” he whispered into Dean’s ear. His heart soared as he heard a chuckle rumble in Dean’s chest, then he straightened back up.

“Are you hungry?” Cas asked, eyeing the popcorn bucket. 

“Nah, the popcorn kind of filled me up,” Dean replied. 

“Dean, you really need to stop eating so much junk,” Cas said, exhaling impatiently. He walked into the kitchen both Dean and Miracle trailing him like, well, puppies. 

“C’mon Cas, I’m stronger than an ox, this junk for ain’t got nothing on me,” Dean retorted.

“Yeah, because you’re still 26. Just wait a few years and-” Cas stopped abruptly as Dean reached in the cabinet for the Oreos. Castiel swatted his hand away before he could secure a cookie, causing Dean to roll his eyes in defeat. Feeling the exhaustion creep back into his bones, Cas just grabbed a glass of water as Dean sat across from him.

“How was work today?” Dean asked, much to Cas’ surprise.

“It was good, busy like usual. Nothing too exciting today,” Cas lied, hating every second of it. Despite the lies, Cas couldn’t help but feel hopeful for what was to come. Today marked the new chapter in his, in their, book, and he was excited to see it unfold. Dean, knowing Cas so well, could tell something more was on his mind. 

“Nothing exciting, huh? Then why do you look happier than Miracle when I get home after a long day?” Dean inquired, a smirk playing at his lips. 

“No reason, today was just a good day. Plus, I get to come home to you, Dean. What could possibly beat that?” Dean’s smirk grew into a full blown smile as he stood and waited for Cas to clean his glass, before taking his hand and leading him to bed, Miracle curled up, waiting for them.


	2. Shots

A week had passed since Cas signed the papers to the bakery, which meant an entire seven days of early mornings and late nights, prepping the bakery for opening day. Luckily, he didn’t have to face the work ahead of him alone. His friends had joined him every day, sometimes for an hour or two, sometimes from dawn to dusk. That’s where they were now; elbows deep in white and baby blue paint. A few shades lighter than the color of Castiel’s eyes, this particular shade of blue was Dean’s favorite color, so it only made sense that that was the color Cas used for the bakery walls. It was crazy how two of Cas’ greatest accomplishments, owning the bakery and snagging Dean, could be all tied up in a pretty baby blue bow. 

The day dragged on, with music of all genres playing to help pass the time- first some Young the Giant, then Led Zeppelin, Dean’s favorite, then AC/DC then Dolly Parton. Cas chuckled when 9 to 5 began to stream through his speakers, earning confused glances from his friends. 

“Cas, what’s so funny about Dolly Parton?” Charlie questioned. 

“Nothing, nothing. It’s nothing. I promise,” he assured through laughter. 

“That doesn’t sound like “nothing,” Cas,” Eileen signed. 

“Cas…” Claire joined in.

“Okay, okay. But you can’t tell anyone I told you this,” Cas reasoned. 

“Cross our hearts and hope to die,” replied Sam. 

“If Dean finds out I told you this…” Cas began, then took a deep breath. “Sam, your big brother absolutely adores Dolly Parton, owns all of her albums,” Cas confessed, a smile plastered on his face, stumbling over his words in laughter, then continued, “and even has a t-shirt that says “What would Dolly do?” 

His friends burst into laughter and he joined them, as Cas relished in the sound. Dean’s soft side is what Cas loved most about him, the side that loved to softly sing Cas to sleep when he was restless at 3 am, the side that had full conversations with the pets under his breath when he thought no one was around, the side that loved and loved and loved, with no walls up or battlelines drawn. 

As Cas’ mind wandered to his boyfriend, thoughts he had buried began to resurface. What if Dean hated the cafe? What if the business fails? What if they ran out of money? What if this was a waste of time, of effort, of money? What if… Dean hated it? What if what if what if. Cas could feel his breathing getting faster and faster, could feel his head spinning, as he dropped the paintbrush still in his hand. In an instant, Eileen was in front of him, hands on his forearms, trying to catch his eye. After a couple of seconds that felt more like a couple of years, Cas finally met Eileen’s eyes as she smiled softly at him, his breathing returning to normal. She took a step back and began to sign to Cas.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?” 

“No, no, I’m okay. Thank you,” he signed back, returning her smile. Sam, having seen the situation unfold, but not wanting to push Cas to talk, decided to take it upon himself to take Cas’ mind off of whatever was upsetting him. He dramatically tossed his paintbrush into the bucket of paint beside him and let out a heavy sigh. 

“Hey, we’ve been busting our asses all day. Whaddya say we call it a night and go out for dinner?” 

With that, Charlie, Kaia and Claire perked up, clearly loving the idea. 

“Count me in,” Kaia muttered, putting her paintbrush away. 

“Where do we wanna go?” Claire asked no one in particular. A few moments of silence passed between the friends as they pondered their options. All eyes turned to Eileen as she signed the first place that came to mind. 

“We could go to Olive Garden?” But at the suggestion, her boyfriend rolled his eyes, signalling that Sam wasn’t totally on board with the idea. 

“Do you have a better idea, Sam?” Charlie challenged. 

“I-I guess we could go to Red Lobster?” Sam offered only to be met with groans from the crew. Then Claire piped up.

“I got it, we could go to Donna’s Diner!” The same diner Cas had left three weeks ago to open his bakery. Great idea. 

“We can’t go to Donna’s, dumbass. If we go there and they mention that I quit, Dean will have my head on a silver platter,” Cas replied to Claire. Clair spun around, a devilish grin on her face. 

“Not if I have it on a fuckin’ platter first,” she replied. After the words left her mouth, Claire flicked her paint-covered brush at Cas, getting the baby blue goo in his dark brown hair. He gasped, then flicked his paintbrush back at her, only to send her squealing with paint on her nose. As Claire fired back at Cas, some of the paint missed its target and hit Sam square in the chest, causing his jaw to hit the floor in shock. She gasped, hand flying to cover her mouth as she muffled her laughter. With a chuckle, Sam used his fingers to pick up the glob of paint on his shirt then slowly walked towards Eileen, whose eyes grew wider and wider as she realized what was happening. Before she could react, Sam had swiped his finger across Eileen’s forehead, leaving a smudge of paint in its wake that resembled baby Simba in The Lion King. As she smacked Sam on the arm in fake anger, he turned to face the group. 

“Looks like we’ll all have to go home and clean ourselves up before dinner,” he said, as the rest of them nodded in agreement. 

Back at the apartment, Castiel lay sprawled on the bed, hair still dripping after he had washed the paint out. Much to Cas’ relief, Dean hadn’t asked questions about the mysterious blue substance in his hair. Dressed in a soft pink sweater and blue jeans, Cas was content to just wait for Dean to get ready. One hand scrolling through his social media, the other softly petting Lola’s head, Castiel didn’t even look up when Dean emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a crisp, white towel. Dean cleared his throat loudly, aiming to attract Cas’ attention but found no luck. He tried again. When Cas failed to look up a second time, Dean turned around to face him, a smirk on his face. 

“Damn babe, I know it’s been a long three years together but I would’ve thought this,” he gestured to his sculpted torso, “would still garner your attention but I guess I was wrong,” he finished, chuckling lightly. 

Cas finally glanced up, moving to sit with his back against the headboard. Dean stood, hands wide at his sides, silently asking Cas _how could you ignore this?_ Cas’ eyes drank Dean in, lingering here and there, before locking eyes with Dean. He felt his cheeks grow hot under Dean’s stare.

“Whaddya blushing for, angel?” Dean teased, loving the look on Cas’ face. Cas moved his lips but no sound came out as he floundered to reply to Dean, but before he could find the words, Dean had crossed the room and pressed his lips to Cas’. The kiss took Cas by surprise, making him straighten against the headboard, but Dean took the stability as an opportunity to slip his hand under Cas’ sweater to grip his hip. Cas melted under Dean’s touch as he wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, pulling Dean closer. Dean responded by deepening the kiss only to then abruptly break away, ripping his lips from Cas’. Dean pulled back to meet Cas’ eyes, seeing his own hunger reflected back at him. Dean then leaned forward, inching his lips towards Cas’ jawbone, only pausing mere inches away to breathe on Cas’ skin. Cas shivered with anticipation, needing Dean’s lips on his skin more than he had ever needed anything in his life. After what felt like ages, Dean’s lips hit their intended target, as he placed small, soft kisses on Cas’ jaw, moving towards his neck. Without interrupting Dean, Cas reached for the towel still wrapped around his waist, but before he could remove it, Dean’s cell phone began to ring loudly from the bedside table as Sam’s name flashed on the screen. Dean groaned and flopped on the bed, face covering his hands in defeat, leaving Cas to answer the phone. 

“Hello?” Cas said, his voice gruff. 

“C-Cas?” Sam paused as the realization hit him. “Did I, uh, interrupt something?” He continued, chuckling to himself. 

“Shut up, Sam. What do you want?” Cas rolled his eyes, but his tone was softer than his words. 

“Just calling to remind you and my dear, old big brother that dinner reservations are in exactly ten minutes. Wouldn’t want you guys to be late or anything.” Before Cas could respond, the line went dead. Cas placed the phone back on the table where he had gotten it and turned to face Dean, who had quickly gotten dressed while Cas talked to Sam. In a pair of black skinny jeans, a tattered Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a leather jacket, Dean looked simply striking as he sat on the edge of the bed to lace up his Doc Martens. In one swift movement, Cas got up from his spot on the bed and straddled Dean, one hand on Dean’s shoulder, the other playing with Dean’s hair at the base of his neck. Cas rested his forehead against Dean’s for just a moment before kissing him, picking up where they left off. But before things could get as heavy as they previously were, Dean broke off, out of breath. 

“C’mon angel, we’re going to be late for dinner. And you _know_ how Sam gets when we’re late,” he mumbled, a smirk playing on his just-been-kissed lips. Cas gave him one last peck and climbed off of him, letting him finish lacing his boots, as he left the room to wait for Dean by the door. As Dean finally joined him, he held out his hand to Cas, intertwining their fingers, as they headed out to meet their friends, together. Together. Cas liked that word. 

After the earlier paint fight, the gang had decided on going to a local restaurant called Sardines for dinner. To no one’s surprise, Dean and Cas showed up late, twenty-two minutes late to be exact, as Sam smugly reminded them over and over. The drinks and the conversation flowed easily as this found family told stories they’d told time and time again, laughing as though they’d never heard them before. 

The story of how Sam and Eileen met- Sam, running on empty with no support from his parents, desperate to find a job on campus, only to turn to the one thing that has never let him down: books. Eileen, with dreams of being a librarian, always escaping in the novels and stories, finding herself in lives that aren’t her own. Both of them, searching for an escape and finding it in each other. 

Dean ordered a round of shots for the table. 

The story of Cas and Claire meeting at culinary school, long before the dream of a bakery was a reality. In between kneading bread dough and needing each other, Claire, ever the drifter, never feeling like she had found “it,” dropped out of school but she never left Cas’ side, and he never left hers. 

Another shot, courtesy of Sam.

The story of Cas, hell-bent on getting a pet of his own, making trip after trip after trip to the local shelter, and consequently bumping into Kaia, her soft laugh and kind heart helping both Cas and the shelter animals. Cas knew what he had to do. 

“Maybe we should order some food. Wings, maybe?” Sam said. Dean bullied everyone into getting buffalo sauce. 

The story of Cas dragging Claire with him to the same shelter to adopt Lola and Louie, resulting in the very accidental and not-at-all planned meeting of Claire and Kaia. Claire, hearing that same soft, sweet laugh, knew she had finally found “it.” The sun to her moon, the quiet to her loud. Claire was lost and Kaia was found, and it all happened because Cas wanted to adopt a cat and left with two.

The wings came and the table devoured them, then Claire ordered another round of shots. 

The story of Dean and Charlie knowing each other since they were in diapers. They were each other’s prom dates, they were each other’s first kiss. Charlie always teases Dean, saying that’s the moment she realized she was a lesbian. Dean was once suspended from school for two weeks for beating the shit out of a couple of guys who vandalized her school locker. Dean always said she’s the little sister he never wanted. 

“One last shot, guys, I promise this is the last one,” Cas assured everyone. 

And last but not least, the story of Dean and Cas. Dean, with nothing but a GED and a give 'em hell attitude, working at the local auto shop, elbow deep in grease and car parts, poking his head out from under the hood of the Jeep he was working on at the sound of wheels in the parking lot. Cas, huffing and puffing, both from lack of breath and frustration, wheeling his bike towards the air pump, only to stand there, without a single clue as to how to use the damn thing. Before Cas could pull his phone out to call Claire, Dean walked up behind him, asking if he needed help. Frustrated and tired, Cas confessed how his bike had a flat tire and he didn’t know how to use the pump. With a chuckle and a cocky smirk plastered on his face, Dean crouched down to put air in Cas’ bike tires. When Dean looked back up at Cas standing over him, to ask his name, the sun was positioned behind him just right and it looked like a little halo. Cas had been Dean’s angel ever since, despite Dean saving Cas that day. 

"Text when you get home, guys. Love you. Yeah, love you too. See you later. Don’t forget to text." 

Drunk and happy, the gang said their goodbyes and called their Ubers and Lyfts. Soon, it was just Cas and Dean left. It was warm, warm enough to walk home, and hand in hand, that’s exactly what they did. After a while, they stumble past the bakery, as Dean pulled Cas to a halt, giggling like a school kid as he peaked in the windows. 

“Th-that’s my favorite color! That blue, it’s my favorite, Cas!” Dean squealed. Cas rolled his eyes affectionately, as if he didn’t already know that information. “Babe, babe. Cas. When this place opens, we have to come check out their apple pie. We have to. Promise me we’ll come get some pie,” Dean continued. Cas tensed, suspicious for a moment, then relaxed as he saw the excitement on Dean’s face. 

“I pinky promise, love. I’ll buy you all the pie your heart can handle.” 

“But what about my stomach?” Dean asked, then broke into laughter again. Cas couldn’t help but laugh at, and with, Dean in that moment, his heart soaring. As the two laughed together, in the middle of the sidewalk, Dean pulled Cas close and pressed his lips to Cas’. When they broke apart, Dean whispered,

“I love you, angel.” 

To which Cas replied, 

"I love you too.” 

Then they continued to stumble home, hand in hand.


	3. For Love

Once again, the gang was dispersed throughout the bakery, but this time the scene looked a bit different. The walls were painted and decorated, the shelves were stocked, the cash register was set up. The only thing left to do was set up the tables and chairs, which is exactly what Sam and Eileen were doing. Tomorrow was the big day, the day Cas and his friends had been waiting for for months, the day all of his dreams will come true, in more ways than one: the grand opening of Little Slice of Heaven. Cas couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement swirling in the pit of his stomach. Sam and Eileen barreled by him, carrying a table, as Cas grabbed the dog bowls he had bought. Dean would want a place for Miracle to get some water, Cas knew this would make him happy. He was on his way to place the bowls outside when his phone rang. Dean’s name flashed on the screen, paired with a picture of Cas kissing Dean’s cheek in the park. 

“Hey love, what’s up?” Cas asked, happy to hear Dean’s voice. 

“Well, Cas,” Dean started, letting out a hollow laugh before continuing, “being the great boyfriend I am, I was going to surprise you with lunch and a bouquet of flowers at work, but I, uh, I got there and you weren’t there. You weren’t there. And get this, turns out you haven’t worked at Donna’s for over two months. Two damn months. So if you’d like your beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, you can find them in the trash can in the kitchen.” _Click._

Cas was left with dead air on the other end of the phone. He froze, gutted, as he processed the phone call. Gathering himself, he followed Sam and Eileen’s tracks, needing to find someone to talk to about what had just happened. Luckily, when he found Sam, he found the rest of the gang as well, who all stopped and stared at him when he stormed in the room, clearly frantic. 

“Cas, what’s wrong?” Kaia asked.

“Is everything okay?” Eileen signed. 

“De-” Cas started, then continued to ramble, “I- He-”

“Cas, breathe, man,” Sam said, trying to calm him. Cas, doing as he was told, closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, collecting his thoughts. 

“I just got off the phone with Dean. He tried to surprise me with lunch at the diner. He’s _pissed_.” 

The gang stood in stunned silence for what felt like years. Charlie was the first to break it.

“Cas, what are you going to do?” 

Sam answered before Cas could.

“He has to tell Dean about the bakery. He can’t keep lying to him, he’s already pissed, he’ll only get more mad. Cas has to tell him the truth.” 

The thought of telling Dean the truth and ruining all he’d worked for made Cas’ head spin. All the time and effort he and his friends had put into the bakery, had put into prepping for tomorrow, all for nothing. Charlie seconded his thoughts. 

“Sam, if he tells Dean, it will ruin everything. You know how hard Cas has worked for this, how hard we’ve all worked for this.”

“So you want him to keep _lying_ to Dean?” Sam countered, raising his voice a notch. 

“Do you want him to come clean and give up all we’ve worked for? He’s got one more day, I think Dean will be okay,” Charlie said, rolling her eyes. 

“Guys, I don’t really have time to stand here and listen to you two bitch,” Cas cut in, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “Do you think you guys could finish setting everything up in time for tomorrow? I need to go home and talk to Dean.” 

“We’ve got it all under control. Get outta here,” Claire reassured him, looking around at the rest of their friends for backup.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it. You know you can count on us,” Kaia chimed in. 

“Go talk to Dean,” Eileen signed. Thankful that he could rely on his friends, Cas nearly sprinted to his bike. The bike ride home was typically only 15 minutes but it felt like 15 hours today. Cas had never, ever pumped the bike pedals harder than he did on his race home to Dean. 

When Cas swung the apartment door open, out of breath and worried sick, Dean was sitting on the couch with his back to Cas. Miracle lay at his feet, Dean’s eyes fixated on her. Cas didn’t even stop to take off his coat or shoes, he just slowly walked over to the couch and sat on the arm opposite of Dean, trying to seem as calm as possible. He paused for a moment before speaking, as he took in the sight before him. Dean’s eyes were slightly red and puffy, as if he had cried a few tears before beating himself up for doing so. His jaw was clenched tightly, so tightly, as his brain worked a million miles a minute. Dean was seemingly unmoving, all but his right thumb, which mindlessly rubbed the tattoo on his left wrist. The tattoo read “for love” in Cas’ handwriting; Dean had gotten it on his 24th birthday, just days after he had brought Cas home for the first time as his boyfriend. Dean’s father, John, had disowned him, and Sam too, for siding with Dean. That day, Cas had told Dean he loved him, and that he was nothing like his father because, unlike John, everything Dean had done, he had done for love. Six hours later, his wrist was inked. In the two years since then, rubbing the tattoo was the one tell-tale sign of Dean’s emotions. 

“Can we talk about this?” Cas asked, voice low and gruff in an effort to mask his pain. Dean still had not looked up. 

“You have a hell of a lot of talking to do, Cas,” Dean stated dryly, eyes still locked on Miracle. 

“Dean, I don’t even know what to say. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Cas said, moving to sit beside Dean. Only then did Dean look at Cas, with a look filled with so much hurt Cas’ breath caught in his chest. 

“Sorry for what, Cas? For quitting your job and not telling me? For running around at all hours of the goddamn day while I have absolutely no idea what’s going on? For lying to me? What exactly are you sorry for, Cas?” 

“I can’t give you the answers you need right now, I’m sorry. Just give me one more day, I promise it’ll all make sense tomorrow. I’m sor-” 

“Three months, Cas. Three fucking months. We’re a team, Cas. Me and you, against the world. That’s what you always said to me. What went wrong?” Dean interrupted him, his voice breaking on the last question. 

“Nothing went wrong, Dean, I promise. I still love you, I always have and I always will, you have to believe me,” Cas pleaded. 

“All those early mornings and late nights. Cas, is there someone else? Are you seeing someone else?” Cas moved to kneel in front of Dean, cupping his face in his hands, to lock eyes with the fragile, heartbroken man in front of him. It broke Cas’ heart even more knowing he couldn’t fix it right now. 

“Dean, love, I promise you there is no one but you. I am not seeing anyone else, I swear. I would never do that to you,” Cas whispered as he wiped away a tear from Dean’s cheek, one he wasn't even sure Dean realized had fallen. 

“How am I supposed to trust you right now? I don’t even know what to believe,” Dean whispered back. “I need you to tell me _exactly_ what is going on, Castiel.” 

Cas, still kneeling in front of Dean, let his mouth hang open, no words coming out, offering no explanation to ease Dean’s mind. When the silence lasted a moment too long, Dean stood up and stormed into their bedroom. Cas trailed him, simultaneously confused and panicked. When Cas entered the bedroom, he saw Dean stuffing clothes into his olive green duffle bag, his anger visible in his every move. 

“Dean, what are you doing? Where are you going?” Cas asked, placing a hand on Dean’s arm in an attempt to stop him from packing. Dean wretched his arm out of Cas’ grasp.

“I’m spending the night at Sammy’s,” he said tight-lipped as he zipped up his bag and hauled it over his shoulder. Cas stood, still as a statue, as he watched Dean leave. No argument, no begging, nothing. Cas just let Dean go, taking his heart with him. Cas heard the bolt on the door turn and Dean’s boots on the stairs, listening to see if he hesitated for even a second. He didn’t. After a while, Cas came back out to the living room and sank into the couch. Miracle laid down next to him, setting her head in his lap, offering much needed comfort. As Cas stroked Miracle’s head absentmindedly, he sent up a silent prayer. 

_Please don’t let these secrets ruin everything I’ve worked for. Please._

Dean drove in silence, knuckles white against the steering wheel. There was no point in turning on the radio when his argument with Cas played over and over and over again in his head, louder than any song could be. Three words kept replaying themselves: what went wrong? He revved the engine to drown out the answer. 

Finally, Dean pulled up to Sam’s, duffle bag in tow. Before he could even knock, the door swung open in front of him, to reveal his obviously concerned little brother with Eileen, equally as concerned, hovering a few feet behind him. Dean, too drained to question how they knew he was coming, just sighed and barreled past Sam to plop on the couch in the living room. Sam, grumbling about Dean not taking his boots off at the door, followed him into the living room. Eileen signed her greetings to Dean as he signed them back, then she disappeared into their bedroom, leaving the brothers alone. Sam sat down on the couch next to Dean and eyed him suspiciously as Dean flipped through the numerous streaming services on TV while unlacing his boots.

“Dean, don’t you want to talk about it?” Sam asked. 

Dean correctly assumed _it_ meant his argument with Cas. Dean ignored him. Sammy always wanted to talk things out, to get to the bottom of their feelings, but tonight, Dean wasn’t in the mood. As Sam opened his mouth to ask again, Dean clicked on his favorite TV show. Sam’s questions were lost as the Scooby-Doo theme song played loudly from the TV speakers. Sam rolled his eyes as he asked again, only louder this time, but Dean just turned the volume up. After going back and forth for a couple of minutes, Sam admitted defeat, said good night, and joined Eileen in the bedroom. For a moment, Dean actually felt bad. He knew Sam had questions, but he wouldn’t have the answers Sam wanted anyway. How could he, when he himself was left in so much darkness? He fell asleep on the couch, wishing his life was as easy as Shaggy and Scooby’s. 

Dean woke the next morning, drool pooled on the pillow under his cheek, and instinctively looked for Miracle, forgetting where he was. Everything started to click into place when Dean heard Sam and Eileen, talking in hushed voices in the kitchen as they prepared breakfast. He rolled over, groaning like an old man, as he reached for his phone. No missed calls, only one text. _1300 Beekeeper Street, 11 am. Please come. - Cas_

He stared at that text, those words, for a while. What the hell did it mean? Where was he going? What was Cas planning? A million more questions filled Dean’s head as he hopped in and out of the shower. He emerged from the bathroom, head still spinning, in a band t-shirt and black skinny jeans, only to find Sam and Eileen waiting patiently for him. 

“I- you guys know about this?” Dean questioned.

“Of course we do, dumbass,” Sam replied, putting on his coat. 

“And how did you two know I was going to tag along?”

“Cas is your person. There’s no way you’d say no,” Eileen signed, rolling her eyes playfully. Dean scoffed at her as he put his coat on as well, trying to play it cool, but Sam could sense Dean’s unease. 

“It’ll all make sense soon, I promise,” Sam reassured him. _I sure as hell hope so_ , Dean thought to himself. The three of them headed out to the car. Dean tossed Sam the keys to Impala, not really in the mood to drive, as he climbed in the back seat. 

“Hey Sammy, turn the damn radio up,” Dead ordered. 

Sam turned to Eileen, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Looks like he’s already feeling better,” Sam said, and they all laughed. 

Sam pulled up to a once-abandoned building, now bustling with people both inside and out, with the words “Little Slice of Heaven” written in big, bright lights above the entry. The three of them all stepped out of the car, as Dean glanced around in awe. 

“Sammy, what the hell is this?” Dean questioned, utterly confused. Sam just laughed, then turned from Dean to navigate his way through the crowd to their friends. Dean followed blindly, attempting to take in the scene around him. He felt someone grab his hand and looked up to see Charlie’s smiling face. He didn’t even have time to utter a greeting before she dragged him inside to a large table, large enough for his entire group of friends. In the center of the table sat a huge, piping hot apple pie, Dean’s favorite. His mouth watered at the sight. Charlie shoved him into a chair next to Claire then took her place next to him. Now that he was seated, he had more time to examine his surroundings. Then everything began to click: that shade of blue on the walls, his favorite shade, he’d seen it before. He and Cas had stopped here on their way home from dinner, Cas had promised him a slice of pie when they opened. As Dean took in the rest of the scene, the crowd around him grew quiet. Then, Dean’s boyfriend, looking as stunning as ever, stepped out of the kitchen, only to be met by an eruption of applause. Cas’s cheeks flushed a deep pink as he hushed the crowd, obviously uncomfortable with all the praise. 

“I just, uh, wanted to thank you all for coming today, for uh, coming to the grand opening of Little Slice of Heaven,” Cas paused, chuckling nervously into the microphone. “More specifically, I want to thank my friends; Sam, Claire, Charlie, Eileen, Kaia. Hell, I even have Miracle and the cats to thank, for getting my ass out of bed every morning,” Cas said, feeling more comfortable in front of everyone. He was met with laughter as he continued, locking eyes with Dean, “Most importantly, thank you to my wonderful boyfriend, the inspiration behind the bakery, my own personal slice of heaven. You believed in me every single step of the way, even when I led you astray. Your love and faith never wavered and that is not lost on me. I hope you, uh, I hope you like the pie,” he finished, as he tried to hide his smirk that cracked as he said the last sentence. He stepped back, only to be met with more applause. Dean’s head swam. Then suddenly, Cas stepped back up, microphone in hand. 

“One last thing, sorry. Before you leave, please take a moment to fill out the “little slice of heaven” wall.” Cas paused, pointing to a chalkboard against the wall. On the board, written in bright blue letters, were the words “What is your little slice of heaven?” Colored chalk was left out for the patrons to use. As everyone turned their attention to the board, Cas continued, “This bakery is my dream, I’d be honored if you’d tell me yours. Okay, I promise I’m done this time. Thank you all again.” The crowd laughed once more at him as he set the microphone down. Cas turned to join his friends but came face to face with Claire. She beamed up at him, bursting at the seams with excitement. 

“Yes,” she squeaked. 

“Yes?” Cas replied, confused. 

“Yes, Cas. I’d love to be the brand new manager of Little Slice of Heaven. I thought about your offer and I’d be honored to hold that position,” she said, wrapping Cas in the biggest hug imaginable. Cas lifted her and spun her around, forgetting for a moment they were in his crowded bakery. 

“Claire, that is literally music to my ears. You have no idea how much this means to me,” he said as he set her down on her own two feet. 

“No, Cas. _You_ have no idea how much this means to _me_ ,” she reassured him as she stepped back, clearing a path straight to Dean. “Now, go talk to him, lover boy.” She gave him a small push, both of them laughing. 

In a few strides, Castiel found himself face to face with Dean Winchester. They locked eyes for a moment, both of them sharing a look that said more than their mouths ever could. And with that look, Cas knew everything was going to be okay. Dean leaned forward to close the gap between them to press his lips to Cas’. Cas kissed him back, happy to have this feeling again after being so scared of losing it. He pulled back from Dean, chuckling. 

“Easy there, tiger,” he said, smiling at Dean as he grabbed his hand. Cas kissed it softly before dragging Dean towards the chalkboard, all of his friends trailing them, anticipation written on all of their faces. A few feet from the chalkboard, Cas brought Dean to a halt, holding him by his shoulders. 

“Stay here. Don’t move, Dean, I mean it.” And Dean did as his angel told him. Cas kissed Dean’s cheek before he turned and walked up to the chalkboard, everyone parting for him. What was Cas’ perfect little slice of heaven? He knew the answer. With a shaky hand, such a shaky hand, Cas wrote four words on the board, the most important words he’d ever written in his life. Taking a small step back to take in the moment, Cas breathed deeply before he turned around, eyes searching for Dean once again. His friends cheered, hugging each other. Dean’s jaw dropped as he took in the words written in front of him. 

_Will you marry me?_

In Cas’ handwriting. The same handwriting that matched his tattoo. Without realizing it, Dean dropped to his knees and before he knew it, Cas had done the same in front of him, both of them crying, just like their friends. 

“Dean?” Cas asked nervously. 

“Of course, angel. Holy hell, of course. Of course I’ll marry you, you crazy bastard,” Dean gushed. The bakery customers cheered for them as Cas pressed his lips to Dean’s again. As they parted, Dean looked at Cas, both of them still with tears in their eyes. 

“Now, angel, let’s go eat some damn pie.”


End file.
